After being found biking alone on the side of I-215 Friday night, police were able to locate the mother of a 9-year-old boy Saturday.

“We exhausted our efforts trying to find out where he lived so he was actually taken to the Christmas Box House. We weren't able to get a lot of details from him.”

Trudy Cropper, West Valley Police Sgt.

WEST VALLEY CITY — Nearly 24 hours after a 9-year-old boy was found biking on I-215 late Friday, authorities were able to contact the boy's mother.

An officer was approached by a couple at 11:30 p.m. Friday who had picked up a boy riding his bike alone on I-215 near 3500 South, said West Valley Police Sgt. Trudy Cropper.

The boy was only able to give his first name to the officer and did not know his home address. Police also had not received any calls of a missing child.

"We exhausted our efforts trying to find out where he lived so he was actually taken to the Christmas Box House," Cropper said. "We weren't able to get a lot of details from him."

About 7:30 p.m. Saturday, a Salt Lake City business owner contacted police and said a woman had been looking for her son the night before and had left a picture and contact number, Cropper said. Through the business owner, police were able to make contact with the mother, who had reported her son missing with Salt Lake City officials on Saturday.

"We were able to get that information to (Division of Child and Family Services) and DCFS will take care of the reuniting of the mother and the child," Cropper said.

The boy did not appear to have any injuries or signs of abuse or malnourishment, but he was unkempt, the sergeant said. It was also unknown Saturday how the boy had arrived on the freeway.

Cropper said a detective has been assigned to the case and will be looking into whether any neglect or abuse had occurred.

"It's definitely alarming when there's a young child on the freeway late at night and it's dark," she said. "So we're definitely continuing our investigation."